Reflections from Plant medicine Shamanic Ceremony

Greetings beloved souls

Last night, I had the utmost honor to embark on a Shamanic ceremonial journey with plant medicine and a gifted Peruvian Shaman in a group of 20 people.  I am typing this after having arrived home this morning from an evening of journeying and fellowship with others, sleeping in the ceremony hall, and waking up at sunrise to drive home.

There are some that have a judgement about the use of plant medicine, and that is fine.  This type of experience is not for everyone. In my opinion, the best results occur with those that have done deep inner reflection and shadow work on their own prior to ever embarking on this type of ceremony.  

The journey began, as all spiritual journeys seem to begin, not when you expect them to!  I had been loosely following the dietary instructions several days prior to the ceremony.  The morning of the ceremony, a dear friend and I had arranged a energy healing swap which was amazing!  The dietary instructions were to stop eating by 2pm so I ate a light meal and began to pack my car with pillows, blankets, water, warm clothes, and other things I might need for the overnight stay in the ceremony hall.

About 15 minutes before I was planning to leave, my body told me it wasn't ready yet.  Many plant medicine ceremonies include a purge aspect before the mystical can come in.  It's like empty a bucket of sludge so you can put in beautiful crystals.  You can't put crystals into a bucket that is already full.  Hence, the purge.  Well, my body chose to purge before even taking the plant medicine, in the privacy of my own home which is actually quite nice!  I left 20 minutes later than planned and enjoyed a meditative drive through the mountains.  I arrived perfectly on time, unloaded my car, was greeted by the hosts, and find the spot in the room to create my nest.

I chose a corner spot, putting a wall to my whole right side, a neighbor to my left and another neighbor past my feet.  We had time to chat with our neighbors as others came in and set up their spots around the half circle of the room with the Shaman and host seating facing the group.  

We opened with a beautiful heart-centered prayer and intention for the evening and some basic instructions for the optimal experience.  Then, one by one we approached the Shaman who spoke a prayer over the small cup of medicine, handing the cup to the journeyer to drink, and then return to their nest.

Once everyone has taken medicine, the Shaman begins to sing to the medicine with Ancient songs called Icaros. This link will bring you to a native recording of Icaro if are interested in experiencing this music.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTeH3wGOZ84 The medicine within you seems to respond to the music and guide your journey.  When the music slows down or when the room becomes silent, the journey gets milder, and when the music begins again the journey intensifies.  After an 1 1//2- 2 hours, the journey slows and the first round of medicine has worked through the journey.  At this time, the Shaman asks anyone who wants to take more medicine may do so.

This was not my first time do this particular plant medicine.  I will say that the first time I did it, many years ago, I did not take a second round.  It is nearly impossible to describe a plant medicine journey because everyone's experiences are different.  In this experience, my first journey was amazing.  I could feel my brain light up as the medicine took hold, and slowly colors began to emerge into what became a beautiful kaleidoscope of colors.  You can get a similar visual experience by doing a Lucia Light Session. (If you are in Greenville SC, they have them at Drift) This first round was very heart-centered for me.  I softly sang the songs though I did not know the words, feeling my heart expand, enjoying the colors behind my closed eyes, and softly swaying and patting my knee to the rhythm of the Icaro.  It was delightful.  Wisdom came through for me about my life and journey in sort of a download or knowing, which for me makes sense as my top two strongest intuitive senses are Clairsentient (feeling) and Clarircognizant (knowing). Some people hear messages or see beings (Angels, light beings, aliens, etc) as their intuitive senses are stronger in those areas.

One of the things that was shared by the Shaman in the opening ceremony was that experiencing the plant medicine journey helps to heal and elevate you on your spiritual journey, but it also helps to heal and elevate your loved ones, family members, community, and Mother Earth as well.  Because I am so honored to work with clients clearing Ancestral trauma and karmic contracts, to affirm that the plant medicine was helping my children, my parents, and rippling out into the world touched my heart deeply.  I chose to take a second dose, when it was offered to the group.  Each person choosing a second dose silently approach the Shaman one at a time to receive a prayer and a second dose.

Part of me thought that I should ask for a small dose, but I decided to go for it and receive whatever dose the Shaman chose for me.  Yikes! The second dose hit my stomach like mud.  Remember, purging can be part of the process.  Some ceremony hosts give you big plastic buckets and offer the philosophy that purging is an essential part of the journey.  This ceremony host and Shaman pride their medicine on being high quality and that purging is not common or essential.  Therefore, they offer heavyweight, gallon-sized ziploc baggies just in case you purge.  I heard and felt a gurgle from my liver/gallbladder.  I knew where my baggie was but I did not want to purge.  I focussed on deep breathing and exhaling whatever needed to come out in an energetic way.  

The Icaros started.  I focussed on singing which really helped.  The kaleidoscope of colors began, but this time is was much darker, black, grey, dark blue and purple.  The room was responding similarly, deep breathing and intermittent exhales of moans.  I ran Reiki through my stomach and liver to try to settle the discomfort.  A man on the other side of the room began to purge. This is the point, where in the past I would leave the room and go outside.  For me, its less about people throwing up and more about the energy gets too dense when the purging happens.  

The plant medicine is trying to take us into our shadow, the darkness, to clear it.  You can fight it, you can freak out, or you can go with it.  I laid down and curled into the wall to my right.  I prayed for the healing of my children, my family, my community, and Mother Earth.  I felt Her strength and compassion coming up through the floor to me as I focussed on my breath and exhaling whatever the medicine was trying to purge out of me.  A girl across the room started to cry with deep, guttural grief.  Several people in different parts of the room began to moan releasing lust and sexual traumas. It was a symphony of purging darkness.  Then something absolutely magical happened, I heard the Shaman outside my window playing Tibetan bells.  He was walking outside the perimeter of the area and clearing dark energies with these beautiful bells.  I began to feel better and rolled over, only to see that the Shaman was in the room singing the Icaro, but I could hear him also outside playing the bells!  

Even through the discomfort and intensity of the second round, I was given some great messages, insights and wisdom for my family, for my children, my body temple and the Earth.  The unfolding of the experience will have effects on me for days and weeks to come.  I am so grateful that I took this journey and I send blessings to all that may be struggling in the world.  There are many ways up the mountain, you can fight it, you can freak out, or you can go with it.  There is great wisdom in each of those choices, and the choice is yours.  

For more information, questions, or to book a healing session: https://namastehealingarts.com/